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Mother and son escape from house fire in Burton (with video)

Mother, son escape from Burton house fireA home was heavily damaged Sunday, May 4, 2014 in the 2000 block of Morrish Street in Burton. Richard and Jackie Blundell were able to escape with a dog, but it's not clear if three cats and one bird made it out of the home.

BURTON, MI -- As Richard Blundell stood in a neighbor's driveway, his mother Jackie rested her head on his shoulder and tried to hold back tears watching their Morrish Street home go up in flames.

The mother, son and a dog were able to escape flames that quickly spread through the green, two-story home around 1 p.m. Sunday, May 4, but Richard was unsure if the family's other animals were able to make it safely out.

"I was upstairs in my room and saw the smoke coming down the hallway," said Richard of the first inkling he had of the fire. "I went in the kitchen to see if it was there."

After he made it downstairs, that's when Richard said "I just saw flames" coming from the back of the home which Jackie may not have noticed due to partial blindness.

An investigator at the scene said it appeared the fire start on a landing through the back door and may have been caused by an electrical issue. Police closed off Lippincott Road, between Morrish and Term Street, to allow for emergency personnel to make it to the scene.

Upon seeing the flames, Richard said he was able to get Jackie and the family's dog out of the home, but he was not sure what happened to the other animals -- three cats and one bird.

Firefighters had multiple lines crisscrossing the street, spraying water and foam on the home to put out the flames on a windy day, keeping it from spreading to an adjacent residence.

"I smelled smoke and I looked out the door and saw smoke coming down the road," said neighbor Kenda Johnson, who lives next door. "I was worried about my house, definitely."

Tony Johnson, Kenda's husband, was sleeping when the fire began, but he sprung into action after being awoken by his wife.

"I just started to gather valuables," he said, noting they only saw flames at the back of the home at first but watched them spread to the front in a matter of minutes. "Anything I could get out of the house, just in case (the fire spread)."

Richard said he was not sure what the family was going to do. The loss of the home comes just two and a half months after his father and Jackie's husband died from liver cancer.

"We just can't catch a break. We lost everything," he said. "I don't even have my wallet and she doesn't have her purse."